Train Rides
by frenchpressedcoffee
Summary: It started off with something simple. And really, why complicate simple? A Sendoh X Ayako story
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. only the story content below.

* * *

Train Rides

She supposed it started when she began attending cram school to prepare for her college admission exams. At 6pm every evening, she would rush into the girls' locker room for a quick shower after basketball practice, yell a quick goodbye to her teammates and then race madly for the subway train that took her to a station two blocks away from the institution that offered private tuition classes for aspiring high school students. There, she would sit through three grueling hours of multivariate calculus, physics and sift through assignments upon assignments. At 10pm the grind would end, and she would hop back onto the subway, this time in the other direction, back towards her home.

It was this latter subway ride where Ayako usually let her guard down. At this point, she would be completely wiped out mentally and physically, and it was at this point, when she had no more patience for niceties and really could not be bothered with the world around her. She sat with her legs stretched out before her, head slumped against the window of the train, earphones plugged in and loud raging rock music pumping through her ears. Given her complete lack of regard for the world around her during this point of the evening, it was not surprising that she hadn't noticed him the first few times she took this train ride home at night. In fact, if she recalled correctly, it was only when he chose to make himself known that she became aware of his presence.

* * *

She remembered that particular evening. It was on one of her late train rides home. She had been pissed off, having received a lousy B on her latest English test. She felt wronged as she reasoned that there was more than one way to interpret the sentiment in a particular literary test. How could there only be one right answer? In any case, in her angry cloud, she failed to notice when a severely inebriated older male entered the carriage of her train but she soon became aware of the public nuisance he was fast becoming as he stumbled into the train and leered openly at some other females. A scowl crossed her face. There was an empty seat next to her and she sincerely hoped that the drunk older man would not sit next to her. She had a strong suspicion that his faculties were not with him and that he was likely to misbehave.

As luck would have it, he did stumble towards her and collapse heavily into the seat next to hers.

"You're pretty," the alcohol in his breath was evident and repugnant. Wary of how he was leaning towards her, Ayako made an attempt to change seats but the older man clasped a quick hand on her knee.

"That's not nice, I just complimented you" he slurred. Ayako felt her stomach turn. A feeling of disgust, rage and alarm washed over her.

"Get your hand off my knee" She hissed. She wondered if she should scream or just exit the carriage and avoid the whole situation completely. It would mean waiting for the next train which was a bother since the trains were less frequent at this time. She, however, didn't have time to think because she suddenly found herself yanked up from her seat and pulled to other side of the carriage.

"There you are, I was looking for you" Ayako found herself looking up in surprise at a familiar tall spiky haired individual.

"I saved us seats over there" Sendoh said as he pulled Ayako along with him towards the opposite end of the carriage. Ayako numbly followed him, her brain trying to compute when Sendoh had entered the carriage or if he had always been there but she had been completely oblivious to his presence.

"Sorry, I thought that man was bothering you, so I took things into my own hands" he said, once they were out of earshot. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thanks." Ayako said and then she blurted out "When did you get here?"

Sendoh laughed. "Really, that's what you're concerned about? I've been taking the same train back as you for the last three nights"

"And always the same carriage?"

Sendoh reddened at this point. "Well, yeah, the first time was a coincidence, the last two times, I've been following you into the same carriage. We actually get on at the same stop." Then a strickened look appeared on his face as he suddenly thought about how strange and possibly stalker-like his behaviour might have appeared and he paused before continuing to say

"I did try to say hi, but you always looked so pissed off on the train"

"Oh. I'm just really tired at the end of the day"

"I see."

They sat in silence. Then Ayako spoke up.

"Thanks again for back there. I, he, ... I might have done something worse"

"Like what?" Sendoh asked curiously.

"Hit him with my book bag. He could have been hurt pretty bad. I've got three heavy duty textbooks in here"

Sendoh laughed.

"You're a tough one." He said, his eyes gleaming with amusement. Ayako smiled back. Despite her outward nonchalance, Ayako didn't feel so tough. In fact, she was still reeling from the man's audacity in touching her knee. Deep down, Ayako knew she had been afraid at that moment.

The sound of a throat clearing broke her thoughts. She turned to look at Sendoh, a questioning look writtened across her face.

"If you like, it seems, we're always on the same route home. I can sit with you. To prevent, you know, ... well, if you like, that is" Sendoh said a little sheepishly. He didn't meet her eyes as he said this and instead trained his sight on the window opposite him.

Ayako looked at him in surprise. They only knew each other from basketball matches. She wondered if he even knew her name and was surprised he was willing to offer himself as a means to prevent other unsavory company.

"I... I wouldn't mind," She said and then not knowing how to begin, she followed up with "I'm Ayako by the way."

"I know that!" Sendoh chuckled. "We've played matches before!"

"I didn't think you would know the non-players."

"Well, you're the only female on that team, so its easy to pick you out. Besides, we make it our job to know our opponents. Even the pretty ones." He said this so naturally that if Ayako had been any more conceited she might have mistaken it for a pick-up line. But staring at his sincere open face, Ayako figured there wasn't anything really behind those words. She smiled back at him and then since she didn't feel like talking any further, she offered him one of her earphones.

"Do you want to listen to Velvet Revolver?"

And this was how their nightly train rides began.

* * *

Author's note: comments welcome! I wanted to write a story about train rides and I am a sucker for the only strong female character in SD.


	2. Chapter 2

Spilling over

He watched as Koshino took the chance and aimed a shot at the hoop. His eyes trailed the trajectory of the ball and he knew that the shot would fall short. With the flight of the orange spherical object imprinted in his mind, he timed his leap for the rebound. Sure enough, the ball hit the rim of the hoop and he bounded up, arms outreached, his long fingers easily reaching and wrapping themselves around the curve of the ball. With one hand, he brought the ball back down by his side before leaping up and executing a thunderous slam that left the board rattling and the hoop trembling in the wake of his dunk.

"Show off" Koshino said whilst grinning. Sendoh smiled. It could have been his imagination or perhaps it was just plain optimism, but lately, Sendoh had a sense that he was getting better at the game he loved. The ball felt right in his hand and his movements did not feel sluggish. There was a rhythm and flow in his playing that he fell naturally into, a timing that was uniquely his and when he played his cards right, he felt unstoppable.

Of course, self-recognition of this was one thing, telling the friend who had just called you a show off did not seem like it would garner agreement and seemed more like an invitation to incite more ragging.

"I wouldn't need to if your shot was going through" Sendoh retorted instead as he caught the towel Koshino threw at him. He wiped off the sweat on his brow. Since their defeat at the hands of Shohoku last season, Koshino and Sendoh had been putting in extra hours at the gym, staying on later than the rest of their teammates for one more dunk, one more layup, one more perfect jump shot. The burden of being captain weighed heavily on Sendoh's shoulders and he felt that if he were to lead the team, he needed his skills to be even sharper and ever keener on the court. Koshino understood this weight, and did his best to bolster his captain by sharpening his own on-court defense as well as his passing and shooting skills. For if Sendoh was the head of the team whom all their teammates placed their faith and aspirations upon, Koshino was the heart of the team, forever working and encouraging his teammates on to be more than they dreamed they could be.

"Well, I think we deserve a break, what say we head to Uozumi's restaurant. I bet we can get him to give us a discount." Koshino said, his eyes dancing with mischief as he thought about how he would arm-twist the sentimental part of his formerly fearsome ex-captain into giving them freebies. Sendoh hid his grin behind his t-shirt. He swore that Koshino was secretly like one of those old ladies he saw at the market who had honed the skill of bargaining. If there was ever a vocation that perfectly suited Koshino, it was that of a great salesman. Koshino was so persuasive at times that Sendoh was convinced that the young man would be able to entice individuals into buy something as useless as rocks for a very hefty price tag. Although tempted to follow his vice-captain, if only to see how the young man could charm his formidable ex-captain into paying for their entire meal, Sendoh quickly checked his watch and frowned when he noted the time.

"Some other time perhaps," Sendoh said as he started to gather his belongings and tossed them haphazardly into his bag.

"What is it with you these days? Did you get a curfew or something?" Koshino joked. Then his eyes narrowed for Koshino was never without his suspicions. "Or do you have a date? Are you hiding some girlfriend that you never told me about and that you totally should have informed me about?"

Sendoh laughed. "You know I don't have a girlfriend. Who wants to hang out with a guy who eats, sleeps and breathes basketball?"

Koshino sighed. Sendoh did have a point. None of the members on the starting line-up seemed able to sustain a relationship. "Yeah I know. Your last girlfriend got really fed up when you never found any time for dates... although how you found time for fishing instead of for your girl is beyond me"

"Don't mock the fish, the ocean is always there for me." Sendoh said half-seriously as he made his way towards the locker room.

"So what then? You're going night fishing? There's a mermaid you're not telling me about? Who passes up free food?" Koshino continued to badger the spiky haired boy as he trailed after Sendoh into the locker room. It struck him that persistence was one of the great trademarks of an excellent salesman and a truly regrettable trait of a nosey friend.

"Just... a promise I have to keep" Sendoh said and soon regretted as Koshino's eyes narrowed further. He made an effort to avoid the shorter man's intense scrutiny as he scurried into the shower room in an attempt to curtail any further questioning.

"I'm telling Uozumi that you're having an affair with a mermaid!" Koshino called after him as Sendoh disappeared behind one of the shower cubicles and hid behind the soothing hissing sounds of the powerful jet stream.

* * *

Sendoh groaned to himself. It had been a narrow escape but it was also a momentary one. Koshino would probably continue his interrogation the next day and there really was no escaping the barrage of questions that were likely to pursue him the moment he stepped through the school gates the next morning. Yet, he felt it would only invite more questions if he told Koshino the truth. And the truth of course was that he was only being chivalrous and making sure that no unwanted company approached a young frail teenage girl.

Except, she wasn't really frail. No, Ayako had quite the character of steel underneath those wavy locks. He remembered being taken aback by her nerve when on that very night where he had intervened, she had later whipped out her phone and from their safe distance, taken a shot of the offending male who had laid hands on her. He recalled clearly that that particular evening had dragged on because despite her insistence that he did not need to come, Sendoh had ended up following her to the Metro police where she reported the man who had accosted her. And then he had later followed her again to the actual police station where they had taken down both her statement and his as an eye-witness account. He had listened to her report in terse tones what the man had done and marveled at her composure when he imagined how much outrage she must have been inwardly feeling.

But back to the question at hand, it seemed that no matter what he told Koshino, Sendoh was sure that his teammate would still jump to the wrong conclusions and see this as another one of his flirting expeditions. In truth, he hadn't really thought about having a girlfriend or dating lately, since his last experience with a girl had burnt him and left him adrift for many months, resulting in those many weekends by the jetty fishing. And so, Sendoh, was proud to say that it was really with only good intentions that he had begun these nightly train rides with Ayako. That he had begun looking forward to the nightly train rides was a separate matter. He hadn't many female friends - most of his interactions with girls largely ended up with them having a crush on him - and so the time spent with Ayako on the train was like a breath of fresh air. Partly, because well at times, Ayako felt like one of his teammates. He could talk to her about basketball, and get into heated arguments on who should be on the dream team line-up. She had no qualms smacking him with a fan on the back of the head if he said something stupid or took up too much space on her side of the seat. He couldn't help the latter, Japanese trains were built for much smaller people and he was much taller than the average Japanese.

"You're in my space" she would sometimes say huffily when he had won an argument, which was rare because most of their arguments would never finish in the space of time that they had on the train. Sendoh smiled at the memory of Ayako elbowing him in her attempt to make him sit within the confines of his seat and not "spill over" into hers. He, of course, had retaliated by spreading himself out as much as he could on his seat, with elbows jutting out and legs spread apart to cause her maximal annoyance.

Yes, he did look forward to these rides. But he didn't think anyone would understand and funnily enough, he had a vague and unexplained fear that divulging these shared experiences would somehow strip them of their innocent nature.

* * *

Author's note: I have a vague notion in my mind of using the train carriage as a metaphor for a shell or bubble to insulate two people from the rest of the world, although i'm wondering how far i can take this train theme!


	3. Chapter 3

What one sardine said to the other

It was probably a combination of things that added up to the immense crowd piling onto the train that night. Wet weather, a football game at the nearby stadium ending at the same time and faulty track maintenance all contributed to the large crowds milling at the platform, waiting impatiently to hop onto the next train. It was in this thick human traffic that Sendoh and Ayako found themselves huddled against each other as they raised their voices over the crowd to make themselves heard.

"This is ridiculous. Where did all these people come from?" Ayako exclaimed, a little distressed that her normally comfortable train ride home devoid of crowds was now to be exactly replaced with a gigantic mass of people.

"Probably the football game." Sendoh said as he looked in amazement at the size of the crowd gathered at the platform. "We'll be lucky if we can get a seat."

Ayako grimaced as she stared into the back of a stranger in front of her. Tilting her head up to look at Sendoh, she realized that his height gave him the advantage of fresh air as he stood head and shoulders above the rest. She wondered if it was this height that gave him an air of dignity as he stood calmly looking over the sea of people. Then again, there was always an air of tranquility about him, as if nothing could ever perturb him or ruffle his feathers enough for that placid smile to be removed from his face.

"Well at least you can see above the crowd right now, some of us have the wonderful view of other people's armpits" She said drily. Just then, the lights flashed on the platform, indicating the arrival of an oncoming train. The crowd surged forward ever so slightly and Ayako felt herself being pushed along, powerless to withstand the force of the people. As she braced herself for the onward rush which she anticipated would happen as soon as the train doors opened, she felt two hands on her shoulders and turned to see Sendoh looking down apologetically at her.

"Just so we don't lose each other" he said. Ayako didn't have time to reply as the train doors opened and the crowd trooped into the train. Ayako had the impression she was riding a wave as the current of people swelled into the carriage. Her feet seemed to be moving according to the rhythm of others and at times she even felt lifted off her feet. In a matter of moments, she found herself pressed up against the opposite train doors with Sendoh right behind her.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly as he bumped into her. His height, which seemed like an asset earlier, now proved to be a bane as he leaned over her shoulder, having to hunch to accommodate the ceilings of the train.

"Not your fault." Ayako said simply as she pressed her fingers against the glass in an attempt to maintain her balance on the crowded train. Inwardly, she was glad that Sendoh could not really see her face because the whole situation made her feel a little shy. They had never been in such close proximity before and his leaning over her shoulder meant that she could feel his breath tickle her ear.

They were quiet for a while as the train began to move, their bodies swaying with the motion of the train. Every so often, Sendoh would bump into Ayako. She could see he had both arms extended by her either side, pressed against the train doors so as to maintain his own balance. She could also tell that he was trying to minimize the amount of times he bumped into her, and she was grateful for the thought behind the actions.

"You smell nice." He said suddenly after the train had lurched to its first stop and he was thrown slightly forward onto her back. It was more this statement than his stumbling into her back that threw her off. Did one say thank you in such situations? Ayako considered her options and decided that it was best to deal with him as she always had.

"Don't get any ideas." She said sternly and though she couldn't see it, she was sure he was grinning behind her back.

"What on earth do you think I would do?" He teased, amused at her warning.

"Nothing if you know what's good for you" She replied and because each laugh he made and each word he uttered caused his breath to tickle her ear even more, she whipped out her earphones and offered him a ear piece. It was something she did whenever she felt awkward or shy, and even though she knew there was nothing between them, the current situation made her feel slightly hot and bothered. She supposed it was only natural to feel self-conscious whenever two people were thrown into such close proximity and dismissed any other theories. In any case, it did not seem as if Sendoh felt any different as Ayako watched him nonchalantly remove one hand from the door to calmly accept the earpiece and pop it in his ear, before returning his hand back to the door. She guessed that she was just being over-sensitive because, well, what other reason could there be?

As the opening bars of the song began to blast through the earphones, Ayako turned her attention to the city lights outside, made speckled by the rain drops on the glass pane. As they listened together in silence, she felt her heartbeat slow and realized belatedly that it had quickened earlier, perhaps from the anxiety of the crowd. In that moment, however, she realized she had become comfortable again and she let out a soft sigh.

* * *

It should have been an uncomfortable journey with a dozen other people pressing into his back. But somehow Sendoh didn't seem to mind. Hunched over his friend's shoulder, he breathed in deeply as he pushed backwards against the crowd pushing onto him. Her hair smelt of peaches, and it was this smell that preoccupied his thoughts. He wondered absentmindedly what her hair felt like, the smell of peaches made him think that it would probably be incredibly soft and he wondered if his hypothesis would be right. Shaking his head, he knew that Ayako would probably look at him aghast if he ever asked to feel her hair. It was such a weird request after all and one mainly prompted by his olfactory functions. In any case, it was best not to disturb the volatile friend who was known to be quick with her fan.

* * *

Author's note: I like the idea of a tentative romance and I would love suggestions on how to build it. I sort of envision two people who are at the age where being a couple is not unusual but who are still young in terms of emotional maturity.


	4. Chapter 4

Smiley and the Scrooge

It was odd meeting her outside the train station. Sendoh had gotten so used to their interactions on the train and only on the train that seeing her outside in person now seemed surreal. And yet it was real, it was happening. On a balmy early October afternoon, Shohoku's basketball team had shown up at the doorsteps of Ryonan's gym for a practice match. And with the arrival of the team of tall scruffy boys who all looked like they hailed from some delinquent teen gang was the appearence of the lithe team manageress whom he had come to associate with a train ride.

He didn't quite know how to interact with her in this setting. Normally, on their nightly train rides back, he would skulk behind her and attempt to scare her by suddenly announcing his arrival with a jab to her ribs. These attempts were not usually successful since his height made it easy for him to be spotted at the station's platform. But on the occasions where he was successful, he would be soundly rewarded with a quick smack to the head and with a string of words that no young lady should really be seen uttering. It was something of a game between them, one that Ayako had given up discouraging him on since he was usually unsuccessful at surprising her anyway.

In any case, he couldn't very well greet her the normal way he usually would given current company. He had no doubt that every one of his teammates would think him mad for suddenly "attacking" the opponent's team manageress. Worse, Ayako was known to be something like a matriarch in the Shohoku basketball team. To attack the matriarch probably also meant incurring the wrath of the entire team, no matter how innocuous the attack might be. And then, there was the whole business of explaining how they were on friendly terms with each other when no one else knew that they were friendly. All these considerations when added up gave the clear implication that the occasion did not warrant the effort of greeting her in his usual manner. Nonetheless, it did make Sendoh feel very awkward not to say a more personal greeting to a person whom he had come to be very familiar with and whom he interacted with on a daily basis.

He tried to shoot her a smile across the gym where she was standing with Sakuragi Hanamichi. He felt Koshino nudge him and quickly turned his gaze to his teammate.

"Are you trying to raise Coach Taoka's blood pressure? The man is going to have a stroke if you keep appearing distracted and not listening to him!" Koshino muttered under his breath. Sendoh trained his eyes towards his coach who was indeed fuming at him. He flashed an easy grin at his coach so as to reassure him of his attention but the smile only seemed to infuriate him further.

* * *

"Why does he keep smiling at me?" Sakuragi Hanamichi complained as he agitatedly paced back and forth along the sidelines of the gym.

"Hmm? Who is smiling at you?" Ayako asked distractedly as she looked through the team's roster and the statistics of today's starting line-up on her clipboard. Given his recent return from his back injury, they had decided to bench the redhead power forward until the second half of the match.

"Sendoh!" Sakuragi bellowed. "That cheeky spiky-haired no good basket-baller keeps smiling at me! Is he laughing because I don't get to play in the first half? Is that it? Is that it? Huh? Huh?"

"Shush!" Ayako said urgently. As usual, Sakuragi had no filter and did not know nor care for how loud he was being. "Nobody is laughing at you. Now sit down and support your teammates!"

"But he's still smiling! Let me talk to Oyaji. This tensai is fine. I should be playing in the first half too!"

"Sit down, nobody is smiling!"

"He is! I'll show you" Sakuragi insisted and grabbing Ayako by the shoulders, he turned her attention towards Sendoh who sheepishly smiled and waved at her.

"Augh! He's even waving now! Look at how he's provoking me!" Sakuragi raged. Ayako didn't know whether to crack up or to just give Sakuragi a good thumping with her fan to knock some sense into him. Her quick senses, however, told her to exercise a third option.

"Yeah, you're right. He is smiling. But I think you're wrong about why he smiles." She said, her fingers played with the rim of her cap as she spoke.

"Why is he smiling then? And so continuously. Its creepy." Sakuragi said.

"I'll tell you, come closer. I know the secret" She said and beckoned Sakuragi to bend down.

"Well?" Sakuragi said as he scooted closer and dropped to Ayako's ear level.

Ayako smiled as she cupped her hands around Sakuragi's ear and in a conspiratorial whisper, she played her third option.

"It's because he's relieved you're not playing in the first half."

And with that Sakuragi Hanamichi was immensely satisfied and placated.

* * *

"You shouldn't have smiled so much at me during the game today" Ayako said as they boarded the train together.

"Hey, I was just trying to be polite and say hi. You kept avoiding my gaze" Sendoh said as he took her heavy book bag from her hands. "Besides, its weird to meet and act like strangers when we're not."

"You know that's why Sakuragi fouled out three consecutive times on the court the moment he joined the second half. He thought you were goading him with your smiles the whole time"

"Is that so! I did think he was more aggressive today. I thought it was just pent-up energy from not playing in the first half." Sendoh said in amusement and stretched his legs out before him. He was having a good day. Ryonan had won their practice match against Shohoku and he had been in top form.

"Yes. We could have won if Sakuragi wasn't so wrapped up with shutting you down" Ayako muttered, a little miffed since her team had lost. Although if she was fair, it was both Sakuragi and Miyagi who seemed a little off in their game today, while Ryonan, propelled by Sendoh's excellent plays, had been on fire on the court.

"Maybe, but I think my team did well regardless" Sendoh said proudly, "Everyone connected and the plays were seamless."

"Yes, yes. You played well." Ayako said albeit grudgingly. Sendoh grinned back, his joy evident on his face. He knew she was fiercely loyal to her team but he also knew that she did honestly agree that his team did better today. So he was satisfied with her grudging admission.

"So you still had extra practice after our match?" Ayako enquired, pulling absently at the knots in her hair.

"Mm, no. We went out to celebrate." Sendoh said, grinning at the memory of the team piling into Uozumi's restaurant, it was now the default location for all team dinners. The ex-captain had given them fresh tuna belly on the house. And just for the captain and vice-captain, Uozumi had even sneaked them a can of beer to share, but no more than that since Uozumi had to act responsibly as the only (18 year old) adult in the room.

"Oh, and you still took this train back?" Ayako said whilst looking at Sendoh quizzically. "It wasn't out of your way?"

"I wanted to hear somebody congratulate me as well on my excellent plays." Sendoh said breezily, the little bit of beer he had imbibed gave him an extra dash of boldness in his conversation this evening.

"Oh for ... fine. Congratulations. You were fantastic on the court today." Ayako said, a little embarrassed that he had come all this way to the station to meet her after her usual night school classes.

"No prize?" He said teasingly. Ayako stared at him in amusement. Sendoh's spirits were unusually bouyed tonight. She supposed the taste of victory always made one feel like they could do anything. Including annoying one's friend. Impulsively, she took out a notebook from her bag. scribbled something onto one of the sheets of papers and ripped out the page from the book.

"Here, a coupon stating 5 minutes of my time whenever, wherever, for when you need a friend" She said, handing the ripped out page to Sendoh. He looked at the paper dubiously, a little incredulous that this was the extent of his prize.

"You're such a miser." he groused. He took out his cell phone from his pocket and proceeded to hold it up against her face.

"Here, hold your crappy coupon, I want to take a picture of Ebeneezer and her gift. " Despite her protests, Sendoh managed to snap a clean shot of Ayako with the scrap of paper that she had termed a coupon. He quickly tucked his phone back into his pants pocket before Ayako could dive for it and delete the offending picture. As he smiled back at her now pouting face, Sendoh decided that he did get a prize he was satisfied with.

* * *

Author's note: I love Sakuragi, he's such an awesome character to play with.


	5. Chapter 5

Train buddies

It was safe to say that Hiraoki Koshino had always had an inquisitive mind. He was quick to read situations and was sharp to pick out whenever things were more than meets the eye. He had a knack for finding things out and his persistence in drilling down matters until he understood them and internalized the facts was one of the traits that defined him. Such persistence and stubbornness was useful when it came to understanding concepts in math, Koshino never let go of a question until he knew exactly the logic behind its solution. Puzzles fascinated him and he could never let go of a problem until he had solved it.

It was only natural then that the recent mysterious behavior of his captain piqued his interest. The quick take-offs after their extended practice sessions, the polite declines to offers of free food and the firm reticence of his spiky-haired friend all formed the pieces to an intriguing puzzle. Koshino had tried the direct approach, but since that had availed no new information, he felt that it was only necessary that sleuthing was the next step.

And so he did. On a fine autumn evening, Koshino stealthily stalked his captain. He ducked into the shadows of alleyways and poked his head out from behind pillars as he trailed his completely unawares captain to his usual subway station. Thus far, there had been nothing out of the ordinary and Koshino wondered if his suspicions had been unfounded. He hadn't very long to second guess himself before the object of inquiry showed up and he gaped in amazement as the Shohoku team manageress and the Ryonan captain boarded the train together, laughing. Thankfully, he recovered his senses in time to leap into the same train car just seconds before the doors shut.

Koshino eyed the two from a safe distance. He had suspected that a female might have been involved. What he had not anticipated was that Sendoh would be fraternizing with the enemy.

* * *

In Koshino's mind, it was always best if the individuals came clean themselves. However, there were many ways with which one could use to illicit the truth from others. There was always the direct confrontational approach, something which Koshino found less appealing since it tended to raise the individual's defenses and sometimes led to counterproductive outcomes. He instead preferred relying on methods of subtlety.

"My sister offered me two tickets to the latest romantic comedy. I can't go though because I volunteered... at the orphanage that day. Do you know anyone who might want them?" Koshino said casually. He made a mental note to himself to find out the name of an orphanage so as to cover his tracks.

"That's too bad," Sendoh said whilst spinning a ball on his fingertips. " I could go to the orphanage in your place if you like"

Why did Sendoh always have to be such a nice guy? Koshino could see that this was going to be an uphill battle.

"No. I couldn't shirk my duty. You don't know of anyone who might want to go, with a date perhaps?" Koshino said, purposefully stressing the latter part of his sentence.

"Maybe Hikoichi? I think he's been hankering after some girl in 2C."

It was dawning on Koshino that the indirect approach would not work on his captain. There was also a growing suspicion- which Koshino found increasingly hard to dismiss - that his captain was really dense.

"What about yourself? You wouldn't want to go with anyone?" Koshino said, abandoning all pretense at subtlety. "You said you haven't been on a date in a while". Although given his recent discovery, Koshino was unsure how much credence to give to his friend's past claim.

"Nope. Nobody."

Koshino gave up. The movie tickets were clearly not big enough of a draw. A different tactic had to be employed instead.

"Hey, I need to call home but my phone is dead. Lend me yours" Koshino said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. Sendoh handed over his cellphone without any protest. Koshino gleefully grabbed it from his friend's hands, pleased at how easy his little subterfuge had gained him access to his friend's call history. To his surprise, he noted that most of the calls and text messages to Sendoh were either from himself, the team, or Sendoh's mother. In fact, the most recent one was from his mother, asking him to buy fish home for dinner. There was not a single call or text from Ayako on Sendoh's call and message history. This was not at all what Koshino had expected.

"Ok, photos, photos, there's got to be something there" Koshino muttered as he sifted through photo after photo of cats, basketball shoes and fishing rods before finally landing on what he had been looking for ... a completely unflattering photo of Ayako with her mouth opened wide as if in objection to having her picture taken.

"Aha! What do you have to say to this!" Koshino said triumphantly, waving the photo of the Shohoku team manageress in front of his captain's face.

"Hey, I thought you were going to call home!" Sendoh said and scratched the back of his neck. "Man, Ayako's going to kill me if she thinks I'm going around showing that photo to others."

"Never mind that, what is going on between you two? When did you start going out with the enemy?" Koshino asked as he continued to dangle the "enemy's" photo before Sendoh's face.

"Nothing, we're not dating. We're just ... train buddies." Sendoh said. Koshino stared at his friend incredulously. He had never heard of such a ridiculous thing. What on earth were train buddies?

"That's a pretty lousy cover-up" Koshino said as he tossed the phone back to Sendoh. "Train buddies. Is that even a thing?"

"It's true. We've never gone out. We just take the same train home every night." Sighing heavily, Sendoh proceeded to explain how their nightly train rides came into existence. He had always suspected that Koshino would be the first to find out and had been mentally preparing himself for the day where he would have to explain his rapid exits from their extended practice sessions. He had never known how to broach the subject and perhaps never felt it necessary to do so in advance, so it was just as well that Koshino was the one who initiated this revelation.

Koshino did his best to keep his tongue in check as he listened to his friend explain his nightly train commutes. There were some elements of the story that he found incredible and he could not resist stopping Sendoh every now and then to repeat and verify some parts of his tale.

"So, you guys don't talk or do anything outside of the train?" Koshino asked slowly. Sendoh nodded his head.

"And you don't even have her number?" Koshino asked. Another nod in assent. Koshino paused in his questioning to take all of this in. As the pieces of the puzzle began to click together, he realized that despite the bizarre nature of their interactions, Sendoh was telling the truth about his train commutes with Ayako. Having all pieces of information now displayed before him, Koshino now gazed at his friend tenderly with newfound pity. Was his captain being friend-zoned without him even realizing it? What the heck were train buddies?

* * *

Author's note: this chapter was inspired by the newfound relationship term "train buddies". :)


	6. Chapter 6

And we go a-sleuthing

It is the case with most humans that they start out with the best intentions, but sometimes the actual outcomes that play out are not quite always what the individuals intended. In some cases, this is because a lack of thoughtfulness preceded their actions and despite their well-meaning good will, they bumble into action and like a bull in a china shop cause great disruption. In other occasions, the unintended result occurs because the individuals started out with incomplete information and having little to go on, can only devise a course of action with what they perceive to be best although in reality, their planned actions may be far from ideal.

Koshino's current schemes could be classified in this latter category. The young man had the best of intentions. He was genuinely worried for his best friend who seemed to be in a very unusual relationship and since Koshino could make no head or tail out of his friend's current relationship status - a newly defined and previously unknown relationship status termed as "train buddy" - he could only rely on his experience and instincts to guide him. Unfortunately, his dealings with members of the fairer sex left him to only conclude that Ayako must be stringing his best friend along, because there really was no such thing as a train buddy.

And so Koshino determined to get to the truth. Since one party, namely Sendoh, was completely oblivious and clearly the victim in all of this, Koshino decided that the best course of action was to get information on the perpertrator, Ayako. And so for the second day in a row, Koshino undertook the role of super sleuth, detective extraordinaire and staked out the gates of Shohoku. Despite his near-perfect disguise which consisted only of a cap and sunglasses, his cover was easily blown when he unceremoniously bumped into a very tall and loud redhead while sneaking around the gym

"Koshino?" Sakuragi said, "What the hell are you doing here? Are you spying on this tensai?"

"Shhhh" Koshino said, holding a hand up to silence Sakuragi. "I'm not supposed to be here"

"Well clearly. Why are you spying on me?" Sakuragi demanded.

"I'm not spying on you idiot!" Koshino said in exasperation. Then remembering to lower his voice. "I'm on a special mission for a friend"

"Uh huh, and does this friend want information on my mad basketball skills?" Sakuragi asked.

"No! This is not about you! Look I have a friend who likes a girl, see" Koshino began halfway but then paused as he tried to weigh how much information he should reveal to the redhead.

"Ooooh... girl problems." Sakuragi said as he nodded his head vigorously. He leaned forward towards Koshino in great interest. "You have a crush on one of the girls from here? You can ask me anything, I'm the absolute love expert in Shohoku. Haruko is off-limits though. " And for added measure, Sakuragi helpfully inserted "She only likes guys who are at least 6 feet tall."

"No, I don't, look its not for me ok!" Koshino said. He was starting to regret telling Sakuragi anything. But Koshino reasoned to himself that since the ship had already set sail, he might as well just go through with the rest of it.

"Look, it's not for me, but what can you tell me about Ayako?" Koshino said as he decided to just get straight to the matter at hand.

"Ayako?" Sakuragi echoed in surprise. "I didn't figure her to be your type."

"It's not for me!" Koshino thundered and then as if remembering where he was, he snuck a quick look around and in a lower voice repeated his earlier question.

"Well, Ayako... is like a lady gori" Sakuragi said thoughtfully as he tried to find the words to best describe his female teammate.

"A lady gori?" Koshino was more bewildered. It was useless to ask Sakuragi these things. His information made even less sense.

"You know, like a gorilla. Violent. Also like a boss, yes ,yes very bossy." Sakuragi said, nodding his head as he recalled all the severe beatings he received from that terrible fan of hers. "You don't want to cross her. You wouldn't think it but she has this powerful left hook" Sakuragi grimaced as he remembered an occasion where he wanted to defy Coach Anzai's orders and not pass the ball to Rukawa throughout the game. Ayako had promptly given him a lesson with her fan and a sharp lashing with her tongue. "She's a real female gori"

Koshino, in the mean time, was trying to reconcile the mental image Sakuragi was painting with what he knew to be the standard type of girl that Sendoh had dated. The two pieces of information were jarringly disconnect. Sakuragi had somehow given him the mental image of a thug boss. He envisioned Ayako with a bat in her hand, one leg poised on the seat of the chair, and a toothpick hanging from her lips as her face took on a menacing stare. This was the girl Sendoh liked? Koshino shook his head. He clearly needed more information.

"But is she... duplicitous?" Koshino asked.

"Heh? No, Lady Gori is just Lady Gori." Sakuragi said with firm conviction. Koshino wasn't sure if Sakuragi completely understood his question.

"Yes, but would she ever lead someone on?" Koshino asked as he tried to figure out Ayako's intentions.

"Oh no. She rejected Ryo-chin ten times" Koshino nearly stumbled backwards at this information.

"Ten times! Who has such tenacity to survive ten rejections? An individual has to be superhuman to put up with more than that!" Koshino exclaimed. In his excitement, he missed the dark look that crossed Sakuragi's face with his latter statement. The younger man was now considerably less keen on entertaining Koshino's questions and Sakuragi felt it was time to end this conversation. With a heavy hand on Koshino's shoulder, Sakuragi not so subtly pushed him towards the direction of the school gates.

"In any case, Ayako will let you know if she's not interested. So don't worry. You will know if she likes you." Sakuragi said as he ushered Koshino towards the gates at top speed.

"I keep telling you its not for me!" Koshino's protests were however only met with a sympathetic look from the redhead and a conciliatory pat before he was shoved out of the school gates.

* * *

Author's note: this was a fun chapter for me to write. i've had a harder time penning down the next two. i'll try to be timely with the updates but i will be going on a two week hiatus starting this weekend. travel during the next 2 weeks will probably put a crimp in my writing.


	7. Chapter 7

Dithering

Whenever Sendoh came across a seemingly unsolvable question, he retreated to either one of two activities. The first activity he frequently indulged in as it was his passion and sport. Heading to the courts and repeating layup after layup was a good way for him to expend excess energy and clear the fog in his head. Sometimes however, the problem persisted and despite getting a good sweat out of the court, the solution failed to present itself. In these cases, Sendoh resorted to his other activity, fishing. Fishing was an exercise of patience. And while he waited for the fruits of the sea to take interest in his bait, Sendoh often found that the long hours required in this act of patience provided the perfect opportunity for one to re-examine a question from all angles. For the most part, Sendoh found that participation in either one of these two activities was sufficient to provide him with the clarity of mind needed to approach his problems. It was most unfortunate then, that on a day where he was saddled with questions that he wanted answered, he found that his engagement in either activity had brought him no closer to a firm conclusion. Instead he found himself circling round and round, iterating over and over again on a question that had yet no answers.

"You know there's no such thing as train buddies right?" This statement uttered so seriously by Koshino continued to plague Sendoh as he tossed a basketball from one hand to the other. Quickening his step, he began to dribble the ball before bursting into a dead sprint and driving the ball hard through the hoop. It was a very neat power play but Sendoh drew no satisfaction from it as the same insistent question continued to preoccupy his thoughts.

Was their relationship not normal? Could he even call it a relationship? Sendoh bounced the ball back and forth. For the longest time, Sendoh had not questioned his daily interactions with Ayako. It had seemed natural, two people who were acquaintances, growing to enjoy each other's company and becoming friends. Yet it was recently brought to his attention that what he was doing was not normal, and that most people would and should expect more.

Except... should he? "Should" was such an obligatory term. Sendoh didn't know if he was opening Pandora's box. Thus far, he had been very comfortable with the way his friendship with Ayako had progressed. Yet, he understood Koshino's point. Most people didn't confine their interactions and conversations to just train rides. In this day of modern technology, people stayed connected in so many ways and at so many levels. It would have been so easy to reach out after each ride with a tweet like "hastag-trainbud", or send a selfie of himself alone on the train after her stop and get some kind of response. And yet here he was, without her telephone number or email, choosing mainly to count the short moments he spent with her on the train. He had not attempted to contact her outside of those rides and on her part, she had very much acted the same.

Was that strange? Those moments never felt awkward. And yet what was he afraid of losing if he stepped outside of those bounds. Then again, was there even a need to step out of those bounds? It was incessant questions like these that continued to plague him. Every time he thought he had settled on a line of questioning that seemed sensible and right, he would double back and wonder if that was even the correct question to be pursuing. After all, he had never heard of an established protocol for relationships, although at this point he sincerely wished he was aware of one because it would certainly cease this endless round-about chain of questioning and self-doubt.

Sendoh closed his eyes and imagined an opponent in front of him, ready to intercept his shot. He decided that his imaginary opponent for the day was his damn self-doubt personified. In his mind, 'Doubt' was big and hairy, and had a really high-pitched whiny voice that kept mocking him with a constant refrain of "So whatcha gonna do now?". He thought about how immensely satisfying it would be to defeat this opponent and silence that tinny voice once and for all. Opening his eyes, Sendoh sprang into action. He feinted to the left and spun back towards the right before charging like a freight train towards the basket. He slammed the ball through the hoop and landed lightly on his feet while the basket rattled violently from the force of his dunk. As he stood under the basket panting, Sendoh tried to sort his thoughts and differentiate what he wanted from what everyone else expected.

He knew this. He liked comfort. He liked the unassuming. He liked things that moved at an unhurried pace... like when one went fishing. He liked that two people could sit silently and still be at ease with each other.

"But do you like her?" Koshino's voice cut into Sendoh's thoughts. Damn Koshino, and his incisive questions. His friend's inquiries the previous afternoon had unearthed too many things that Sendoh didn't know. With his thoughts continuously swimming around in his head, Sendoh decided to sit down under the basket and close his eyes. One of the techniques he had learnt in basketball was to envision the game and how he would move in it. He wondered if he could apply that to his relationships with friends as well as he shut his eyes tight and tried to visualize a conversation with Ayako. Thankfully, she was a lot more pleasant to think about than big and hairy Doubt.

It was easy to call up what she would look like. She was always wearing her blue school blazer whenever they met at the train station. Her long wavy hair usually hung loose around her shoulders and she always had an olive green book bag that weighed a ton. They were on the train of course. He could see them easily starting a conversation about basketball or talking about things that happened in their individual schools over the course of the day. But since this was in essence most of what their interactions were like, Sendoh decided he had to imagine something different to verify his doubts.

He focused on calling to memory her face. Her eyes were usually twinkling with amusement, sometimes she had a smirk on her face especially when she thought she was winning an argument. He tried to imagine a scenario for why she would be sitting with a smug smile on her face.

"I bet I can guess what you're thinking" Imaginary Ayako said, looking like the cat that just ate the canary.

"I bet you can't." Sendoh imagined replying as he reflected on all the tumultuous thoughts that had led to this mental conversation.

"Oh. I think I do know" He watched in his mind's eye as she edged closer, the mischief never leaving her eyes. "You're wondering what this feels like". Before he could help himself, Ayako closed the distance between them and gave him a soft kiss. Although her lips merely ghosted over his, he felt himself involuntarily catch his breath as his heart hammered against his ribcage and a red hot feeling pooled in his lower torso.

When Sendoh opened his eyes to see the empty basketball court and the ball that he had shot earlier sitting forlorn on the grass, he realized with a gulp how tempting wanting more could be.

* * *

Author's note: Last post before travels! Next post will be two weeks later when i get back. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Overprotective

Today was one of those days where the only conclusion that Ayako could arrive at was that the men in her life were behaving very strangely. The events which led her to this conclusion began rather innocuously in the morning. It was a rather fair morning, the sky was a brilliant blue and nothing in the weather suggested that a tempest might be brewing or that there was an undercurrent of strange meteorological events that could have had the effect of influencing the whims and fancies of the men in her life. Nonetheless, the day while beginning as any normal day would unfold did take a rather peculiar turn.

It all began at breakfast when Ayako's mother, being the observant woman that she was, noticed that her daughter's step had become a tad lighter and that her usual dread and complaints of Mondays were rather absent. Ayako's mother, being blessed not only with keen observation skills but a healthy sense of curiosity, took it upon herself to unearth the reason or reasons behind this change in demeanor.

"So Ayako, is there any boy you're interested in lately?" Subtlety, sadly, was not one of the traits Ayako's mother was blessed with. Fortunately, her husband had found her candidness appealing and had often said that it was her frankness that drew him to her.

Ayako nearly spat out her drink and felt the colour rise in her cheeks as the thought of one particular individual flashed across her mind. In her hurry to cover up the heat rising to her face, she failed to notice that her father had the same reaction as her and had splattered his coffee all over the front page of his newspaper.

"N..no, there isn't anyone" Ayako said in what she believed to be a neutral tone that betrayed nothing. Ayako's father deftly folded up the coffee stained newspaper and placed it neatly by the side of his plate. He picked up a knife and began to butter his toast rather vigorously.

"Ayako, I want you back home by 8pm every day" He said simply. He failed to notice the inordinate amount of crumbs he was accumulating with each stroke of his knife on the bread.

"But I have night school at that time" Ayako said, frowning at the sudden imposition of a curfew.

"Well then, I want you home every evening by 10pm after night school"

"But that's when I come home every night anyway" Ayako said.

Ayako's father set down both his butter knife and the remains of what would have been formerly called "toast". In a gentle but serious tone, he began to address his daughter.

"Ayako, I think we need to have a talk. You're a teenager now and I expect that at some point in your life, you may find yourself attracted to members of the opposite sex."

Ayako sat back in her chair, somewhat incredulous. Was her father trying to give her the rudimentary "birds and the bees" talk? Curious to see how her husband would handle this, Ayako's mother also ceased her usual bustling and operations in the kitchen, and trained her ears to listen to what her husband had to say.

"Now, it may be the case that some of these members of the opposite sex may even appear sweet and endear themselves to you. In such cases, I want you to always remember one thing" Ayako's father said calmly and paused to take a breath. Both Ayako and her mother leaned forward as they waited for him to complete his sentence. Ayako's father, however, took his time before arriving at his conclusion. He gulped down the remainder of his coffee, re-folded the napkin on the table and then after setting all these things aside, he levelled an even gaze at his one and only daughter.

"No matter how sweet the boy is, no matter how nice, always , always remember ... ... to say no and crush him under your foot. All boys at that age are just a mess of hormones and ... ..." Ayako's father began to say savagely and would have continued his tirade if not for the helpful interruption from his better half.

"Dear!" Ayako's mom interjected disapprovingly. Really, she had hoped that he would be sensible and not over-react. Much to Ayako's relief, her mother shoved a lunch bag into her hands and shooed her out of the house with the excuse that she was late for a special early assembly today.

And so, with that strange behavior of her father which Ayako put down to as him just being over-protective, the events of the day surrounding the men in her life unfolded. She could not have anticipated that the strangeness she found in her father that morning would also exhibit itself in Sakuragi Hanamichi later that day.


	9. Chapter 9

It came to her attention that Sakuragi Hanamichi was extremely attentive that afternoon during practice. Usually Ayako found that she had to resort to creative (and sometimes violent) means to get the boy interested in going over his drills. He was, after all, easily distracted by the silent ace on their team, often seething at Rukawa's performance and raging at how his teammate was always showing off. His attention was also often diverted whenever the younger sister of their former captain showed up. In that situation, his rage and frustration at his teammate's performance would suddenly be replaced with a sweet and cheery demeanor. Of course, any slight provocation from Rukawa was able to stoke the dormant fire stewing in the redhead, just as any word from Haruko was able to render him docile. Although she would never admit it out loud, Ayako found Sakuragi's swift vacillations between aggression and sudden congeniality fascinating to watch.

But despite her observations of his various emotions blowing hot and cold within the span of an afternoon, she had never seen him direct a deferential attitude towards her before. This newfound behavior and attention directed to her specifically put her on edge.

* * *

Sakuragi was facing quite the insurmountable problem. It was harder than any math question he had faced in class. And those were already exceedingly difficult. He did not understand the rules of calculus. He did not see the need for calculus. To him, all the calculation he needed to know was whether he could add up the numbers with pen and paper. Anything more complex than that was on a "need to know" basis, where "need to know" was defined by a metric of how much he needed to know to continue playing basketball before the wrath of his math teachers prevented him from doing so.

In any case, the question at hand was as inscrutable as an algebraic problem with too many random variables. His issue at hand was how to illicit information from Ayako about her (if any) interest in Koshino without letting on that he might know more than she knew or than she suspected. It was a typical conundrum of how much did she know, and did she know that he knew and if she knew that he knew, did that mean Koshino knew nothing? Sakuragi scratched his head as he became confused with his own hypothesis. In any case, the first rule in Sakuragi's 101 guide to getting information from various parties was to play nice. Step 1 always involved ingratiating oneself to the source of information in hopes that through one's friendliness, the source of information would freely unload and reveal their secrets to you. In Sakuragi's personal guide book to getting information, if Step 1 failed, then one unfortunately might have to move to Step 2, the usage of fists and head butts. In his experience, Step 2 was usually more effective than Step 1 but then again his main test subjects were the Sakuragi Guntai.

With Ayako, however, Sakuragi felt sure that Step 1 would suffice. He had a well-formulated plan this time. He decided that today, he would make the extra effort, and talk to Ayako as if he was just "one of the girls". He would behave and act as if he was one of her girlfriends that she usually opened up to and shared all her secrets. Thus, he decided to be extra nice, extra helpful and extra attentive to Ayako that afternoon.

"Do you need me to pick up the loose balls?" Sakuragi offered helpfully as he continued to hover over Ayako's shoulder. As he tried to look helpful and show off how quick he was to retrieve the loose balls, he failed to notice the quizzical look that passed over his team manageress' face.

"Uh, thanks. That's great." Ayako said a little suspiciously. Sakuragi had been acting strangely today. He kept hovering around her, following her like a puppy, and he kept insisting on helping her with menial chores that he usually hated. He was sticking to her like a leech. Inwardly, she wondered if Sakuragi had finally figured out reverse psychology and had found a way to make her give up on practicing his daily dribbling drills with him.

" You should always ask this tensai for help, I'm great at cleaning up. See how fast I can retrieve all these loose balls? That lazy fox would be utterly useless. He's too slow compared to me." Sakuragi said.

"Then you can just clean everything up" Rukawa muttered as the pair passed by. It took all of Sakuragi's willpower to resist the instinctual twitch to fight Rukawa. Instead, he zoned in on his mental mantra and repeatedly chanted the same few words in his mind, "Stay in her good books, stay in her good books"

"So Ayako, have you ... been by Ryonan lately?" Sakuragi attempted.

"Not since the last practice match. Why?" Ayako asked.

"Oh nothing. I just thought that some of the guys on the basketball team don't look so bad. What do you think?" Sakuragi said nonchalantly as he inspected his fingernails. So this is what girl talk was like. Sakuragi mentally congratulated himself for getting one step closer to the mystery that was women.

Ayako stared at Sakuragi open-mouthed. Was Sakuragi Hanamichi asking for her opinion on guys?

"Um, I don't know. I never thought about it" Ayako mumbled as she tried to make sense of the current situation. Sakuragi tried to recall how all his favorite female actresses in TV soap operas would react whenever they face a situation where the other was not forthcoming. As he recalled the scene from one of his favorite shows, he tried to mimic the actress' actions and fixed a pout on his face as he stood with his hands akimbo.

"Oh come on, you never found any of them cute?" And then suddenly dropping his voice to a whisper, he said "You know personally I always found Koshino to be not too bad looking. I mean that floppy hair, that intense stare." And then to seal the deal and show how serious he was about this conversation, he decided to fan his face as if the mention of Koshino had brought heat to his face.

"You know I personally would rate Koshino a ten ... ... out of ten of course." Sakuragi helpfully added with a wink.

Ayako could only conclude that after one year of playing basketball with the redhead, she still knew nothing about him.

* * *

Author's note: Sakuragi and Koshino are doing their best. But the best intentions don't help always with two people like Sendoh and Ayako :)


	10. Chapter 10

Starts and Stops

If she was being honest, she would have to say that it was very disappointing. Ayako had been eagerly anticipating the hour her night class would end and the time where her usual train rides with Sendoh would begin. She had so much to tell him. From her father's ridiculous over-protectiveness to Sakuragi's newfound behavior, Ayako could only imagine the laughs these stories would provoke from the usually cheerful young man. She was thus a little more than upset to find her conversation and her attempts to relate her day's events rebuffed by her confidante.

His behavior that evening was unusual. Instead of his typical friendly manner and the assured grin he usually wore on his face, Ayako found that Sendoh that evening was particularly fidgety. He seemed nervous throughout the train ride. Several times, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then shaking his head, he would retreat and clam up again, keeping all his unspoken thoughts wrapped up in an aura of agitated mystery. Ayako tried her best to draw him out by launching into different conversations over various topics of interest, but no particular area of dialogue seemed to hold his attention. Instead, it seemed as though the young man's thoughts were far-away and there was some other question that preoccupied his mind.

At one point in the evening, Ayako, in her impatience to figure out the change in her friend's behavior, clamped her hand against his forehead to check his temperature. She reasoned that his current behavior could be the outcome of some illness or fever. Ayako was well aware that it was a stretch in reasoning but even that feeble rationale failed her as she found his forehead to be as cool as hers. In fact the only reward she gained from her sudden action was to observe the young man nearly jump out of his skin. To her annoyance, he shifted uncomfortably to the corner of his seat and sat squashed against the window. It was as if he was trying to put some distance between them and despite her attempts to explain his behavior to herself, Ayako realized that she could not help feeling deeply aggrieved by his actions.

And so they had sat in awkward silence. She, fuming quietly, he, swallowing hard whilst repeatedly clenching and un-clenching his fist. As the train ride continued and Sendoh remained stubbornly inarticulate and mute, Ayako felt part of her peevishness melt away with the retiring of the day. In the end, she was resigned to the fact that whatever secret he could not bring himself to tell her, he probably had good reasons for his discretion and that she would come to know when the time was right and he was ready.

* * *

Sendoh watched as Ayako waved goodbye to him as she alighted at her stop. As the train doors closed, Sendoh let out a loud, audible groan and mentally kicked himself for his stupidity. Taking out the crumpled piece of paper in his wallet, he looked over the checklist of items he was supposed to have accomplished. On the crumpled note, he had listed three objectives. Completing any one of the three would have counted as mission accomplished. Instead, he had attempted neither of the listed tasks.

His hastily scribbled agenda contained the following:

1\. Ask Ayako out on a date

2\. If not, ask for her phone number

3\. If not, give her the tulip hidden in his backpack

None of the above was achieved and "none of the above" was never supposed to be an option. Yet, for all his ferocity on the court, Sendoh did not know how to channel that boldness into his current relationship. How exactly did one undergo a conversion from train buddies to more-than-friends? Part of him worried that if he tipped the balance and pushed too hard, he would upset their delicate cosmos and he feared she would say "That's not what I meant, that's not what I meant at all"

And yet, the current situation seemed unsustainable. Every part of him seemed on fire when she was near. And while he longed for the easy camaraderie they shared in the past, he realized he also wanted something beyond the friendly punches and teases. He made up his mind that if he alone, could not find a way to communicate his intentions, then he would seek advice. And who better to ask than the person who already shared intimate knowledge of his relationship. And so since this intermediate goal seemed less daunting that the three written on his crumpled note, Sendoh determined that he would hear Koshino out and ask for his suggestions. After all, weren't two heads supposed to better than one?

* * *

Later that evening, Sendoh's mother received a pleasant surprise as her son presented her with a tulip that he had so artfully hidden in his backpack.

* * *

Author's note: Short chapter before bed. Comments and thoughts welcome! This chapter may be a tad draggy. In my mind, i had a theme of "Sendoh spurs into inaction" and wanted to write with that catchphrase in mind.


	11. Chapter 11

first date

Koshino prided himself on being a skilled negotiator. Yet there were some things that could not be entirely enforced on his terms and sometimes Koshino found that he was forced to give in, to make compromises and to allow the other party in the transaction to impose his own terms. After all, if one did not compromise, one then had to suffer the consequences of a failed negotiation and walk away empty-handed. Since his best friend had impressed upon Koshino the urgency of his desire and his immense anguish at his own failed attempts, Koshino felt that it was imperative that he ensured a resolution to his friend's dilemma. With the firm belief that the matter had to be settled once and for all, Koshino felt keenly that he could not push too hard for his own terms and thus worked hard to ensure that the objective of his mission would be achieved.

This was precisely why Koshino then, had allowed Sakuragi Hanamichi to tag along as he spied on Sendoh's first date with Ayako. Sakuragi was, unfortunately, a necessary piece of the puzzle that had to be included in the picture. With much haggling, Koshino had managed to draw out Ayako's phone number from Sakuragi. The price for that much prized phone number included filling in a curious Sakuragi on all the details of the mission, as well as bribes of free hamburgers and pizzas.

* * *

"So how is this supposed to help your chances with Ayako again?" Sakuragi asked through a mouthful of popcorn as Koshino desperately tried to get the tall redhead to duck down as Sendoh and Ayako approached the box office outside the theater.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Its not me. Its Sendoh who likes Ayako!" Koshino hissed.

"Right. But then, why did you go through all the trouble of getting the phone number again?" Sakuragi said. He didn't quite understand Koshino although he was starting to form the opinion that Koshino was the epitomy of the true "bro". He wondered if he asked Koshino for help whether Koshino would actually respond and set up a whole day's itinerary for him and Haruko. After all, Koshino seemed to demonstrate that he enjoyed being quite the planner of events. He had planned Sendoh's date down to the very last detail and had dictated exactly what the course of the day's events should look like.

"That ... ... that's because there is a divine being who balances the odds and ensures that people born with a buttload of talent have severe deficits in other areas of life." Koshino said. "Now will you please lower your head. The last thing Ayako needs to see is two chaperones on their first date!"

"Oh? What other severe deficits does Sendoh have?" Sakuragi said, his curiosity piqued.

"How is that important right now?" Koshino said and frowned as he watched Sendoh and Ayako purchase their movie tickets. In his expert opinion, Sendoh was standing way too far away from Ayako. How on earth would Sendoh at such a distance be able to coolly sling his arm around Ayako's shoulders or casually place her hand in his? That ninny.

"Does he have smelly feet?" Sakuragi continued to press on. His own feet never smelt very good after a basketball game. It would be comforting knowing his rival also suffered the same shortcomings. Sakuragi started to feel a surge of goodwill and camaraderie towards Sendoh. To think they may have so much in common, it was almost as if they were cut from the same cloth.

"What? No. I don't know." Koshino said and grabbed Sakuragi's arm. "C'mon. They're entering the theater now. We have to follow"

"Ok, but you know, you should recommend this foot spray to Sendoh. It'll help him with his problems." Sakuragi said kindly and was pleasantly surprised at his own sudden show of generosity. He supposed it was only natural to help out people who had the same problems. Compassion was sadly so rare these days.

Koshino stared at Sakuragi as he had grown two heads. He would never be able to fathom the redhead.

* * *

As the cinema lights dimmed, Sendoh found himself releasing a breath that he had hitherto not known he had been holding. Everything had so far seemed to go according to plan. Calling Ayako up and asking her out for a date had not been as difficult as he anticipated. He supposed it helped that he had practised his lines with Koshino ten times before actually dialing her number to ask her out. His own conversation with Ayako on the phone had been extremely brief and direct. It had taken a maximum of three minutes and only required him to utter two sentences:

 _"Hi Ayako. I was wondering if you would like to catch a movie with me this weekend."_

 _"Sure! What did you have in mind?"_

 _"Ok. I'll see you Saturday at 3pm. Bye"_

In his elation at hearing her affirmative reply, Sendoh had hung up before realizing that Ayako had asked a question and that he had given a completely separate reply. In his mortification, he texted her the details of the movie and the location as he was both too embarrassed to call her again and worried that he would again say something stupid.

But now in the cinema, it seemed as if things would finally start going his way. He looked over at her and smiled. She was dressed differently today. It was his first time seeing her in a dress and he thought she looked beautiful. He didn't know how to tell her that without sounding cheesy but he figured he would find a way to do so as the day went on.

Smiling, he stared at the movie ticket in his hands. It was only then that he realized that Koshino had recommended a horror movie. He guessed that this was supposed to be a strategic choice to help him get physically closer to Ayako. The only hitch in the plan was that, he, Sendoh, really, really, really, absolutely hated horror movies.

* * *

Author's note: back from the deadddddd. Unfortunately, work has kicked in and i had deadlines that took priority over this :( Hope this chapter is enjoyable.


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